How to stop tasks/applications from automatically starting?

[dben89x]

Hey, guys. New Android owner here, Galaxy S4.

I am trying to stop applications from automatically starting, in an attempt to save battery life, so that I'm not using unnecessary memory where I don't ever utilize what it's being spent on.

I already read this thread, which it sounds like an identical question to mine, but it didn't seem like an ideal solution ever came from the discussion. http://androidforums.com/htc-desire/129507-apps-starting-automatically-htc-desire.html

What I gathered from the discussion is that there are many tasks that are connected to the system which you can't uninstall, and then there are plenty more Google Play apps that you can uninstall.

I am fine with the non-native apps that run, since there are only 3 of them, and they only take up roughly 100 MB of memory.

However, when I look at the native apps that came with the phone, I count 12 processes that always reboot themselves automatically once I kill them (with an App Killer). These include useless things (at least for my preferences) that I don't even want on my phone like S Voice, Story Album, AT&T Locker, Samsung WatchOn, etc. They end up using collectively 430 MB of memory, and after analyzing each individual one, I came to the conclusion that I would never end up using any of them.

My question is... Is there a way to lower their priority so they use less memory since they can't be uninstalled? Or is there a way to choose which apps start up automatically and switch others to manual control?

Thank you for any input.

 

[Smokey Mc Pot]

Welcome to the forum dben89x,
You can disable some native apps that you don't use in "settings> application manager" by selecting the app and disabling it.

Your other option is root your device and install "Greenify" from the app play store. (Or any similar app). And in that way you will be able to control all your apps...

 

[Goodspike]

My advise is to not worry about it. With 2GB of ram these small programs being loaded is not really a problem, nor do they use a lot of battery (CPU cycles).

Instead I would focus your attention on turning off the Samsung features you don't want. Programs that use sensors to detect movement are going to use a lot more battery and cause a lot more lag and a piece of software loaded into 2GB of ram that isn't doing anything.

 

[lotus49]

I completely agree with my learned colleague Goodspike.

Loading an app and leaving it unused in memory will have such a small effect on battery life that is just isn't worth worrying about. What really makes a difference is hardware such as wifi, gps, motion sensors etc..

The one thing that really makes a big difference is the screen. Just reducing the brightness a bit would probably have more impact than most of the other changes you could make added together.

Personally, I hate dim screens so I just carry a spare battery. I usually don't use it but sometimes I need to and it's small enough that I can stick it in my laptop bag and I don't even notice.

You also shouldn't worry about how much memory is used. This is a complete non-issue on Android. Android will happily run with memory pretty much full without any impact on performance.

 

[Goodspike]

I completely agree with my learned colleague Goodspike.

The one thing that really makes a big difference is the screen. Just reducing the brightness a bit would probably have more impact than most of the other changes you could make added together.

Why thank you. That first sentence happens to be eight of my most favorite words, at least when appearing in that order.

While I agree with you on the screen brightness issue, I do have to say that at least on my Verizon S4 the automatic brightness option does a great job. I know others are not happy with it, so maybe it varies by carrier model, but in any case it certainly is a lot better than my old Droid 2 Global and even my Nexus 7. There is sometimes a slight lag adjusting, but nothing that lasts even a second. And since at the end of the day I almost always have over 50% battery left (if not a lot more), I don't need to do anything more.

 

[Smokey Mc Pot]

Awwwww that is so cute.
Now I'm under the impression this forum turned into a dating site.

:sly: You pulled ! Go get a room.

 

[dben89x]

Thanks everyone for such quick responses and detailed suggestions.

Smokey- I was unaware of this feature. It pretty much answers all parts to my question.

Goodspike and lotus- Thanks for the advice. I was thinking I had to clear out a bunch of memory to improve battery and performance, but it makes more sense that all those powerful unnecessary bells and whistles would require more constant resources than the background apps that aren't doing anything.